1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a cap for a flue opening of a chimney. In particular, the present invention is directed to a cap for a flue opening which extends the chimney in order to enhance draw of smoke, protect from the elements (such as rain, snow, and wind) and from entry of animals and debris, and provide a decorative external feature for a building.
2. Prior Art
Chimneys for houses and other buildings typically include a flue liner in a chimney which carries the smoke and exhaust upward to be disbursed into the atmosphere. Various caps have been proposed in the past to prevent rain and other elements from entering the opening of the flue. Various prior chimney caps also have been utilized to extend the length of the chimney. By way of example, Munyon (U.S. Pat. No. 2,381,178) provides a chimney extension formed of sheet metal secured by rivets 9 and clamps 10 having brackets 11 or 15. Past chimney caps also have been designed to prevent entry of debris or small animals into the chimney flue.
Various chimney caps in the past have been constructed of clay and masonry. While functional and decorative, they are extremely heavy and difficult to move to a roof top.
Also by way of example, Giumenta et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,732,078 and 5,402,613) disclose a chimney cap with four perforated sides formed from a flat metal blank. Flanges are used to attach to the chimney and a roof may be welded to the perforated sides of the chimney cap.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, there remains a need for a lightweight, decorative chimney cap that may be attached to a chimney with minimal effort and that may be adjustable in order to level the cap to the particular application and in order to permit easy removal if necessary.
There remains a need to provide a lightweight, decorative chimney cap that may be manufactured inexpensively without welding.
There remains a need to provide a lightweight, decorative chimney cap without clay or masonry that may be easily moved to the top of a roof and that would interface with (1) a masonry chimney; (2) a prefab masonry chimney or (3) a prefab metal chimney.